Snapshots
by Alice Bekett
Summary: A collection of Danny Phantom one-shots and short stories. Some may be continued, other may not be. They will range from angst to humour, and everything in between. The first two are now posted: Scars, and Tattoos.
1. Scars

It took Maddie Fenton almost a year to notice something odd about Danny.

That's not to say she didn't notice his odd behaviour, slipping grades, breaking curfews, and the laundry list of other problems he suddenly developed after the accident with the Ghost Portal. Maddie noticed, and tried to tell Danny that she was there when he wanted to talk.

However, a year on, she finally noticed something else: Danny rarely wore anything that could be considered revealing. No tank tops, no shorts, no t-shirts. Just long pants and long sleeves.

Thinking back, Maddie realized the transition happened slowly; that he'd dressed as he usually dressed for months. Then, time had passed, and Danny had begun to wear more and more layers, and always got dressed after drying himself off in the bathroom so she couldn't even get a glimpse of his torso when he was walking from the bathroom to his room.

Maddie was worried, absent-mindedly fiddling with Jack's newest invention, wondering what he son had gotten into now. She'd discussed it all before: with Danny's teachers, with Jack, with Jazz, with Danny's friends. She'd even tried to talk to Danny a few times. She'd thought of nearly everything he could have gotten himself into: drugs, gangs, fights, and more. None of it seemed to fit Danny's behaviour, not really.

Hearing the front door shut, Maddie set the fragile piece of equipment down, and climbed the basement stairs to find Danny kicking off his shoes, and trudging up the stairs. He offered a small smile, almost trying to reassure her, but Maddie didn't feel reassured.

Shaking herself, Maddie checked the clock, and decided it would be a good time to start dinner. Opening the refrigerator, Maddie slammed it shut again, holding it shut against the ecto-entity that resided within. _That scraps that idea._ Maddie mused. A sudden thought eclipsed her brain, and Maddie smiled. _I'll get something delivered! Jazz, at least, can't complain about that. I'll ask Jack to get that ghostly roast beef out of the fridge after dinner._

Maddie climbed upstairs, knocking on Jazz's door, "Hey Sweetie," she said, poking her head through the doorway.

Jazz, who had been sitting at her desk, spun around in her seat, "Hey, Mom. What's up?" Jazz's face darkened, "You don't want me to try out some ghost hunting weapon, do you?"

"No,' Maddie offered a smile, "I was thinking about ordering take-out for dinner. What would you like?"

Jazz shrugged, "I don't care. Ask Danny, I'll eat whatever he wants."

"Okay," Maddie eased herself out of her daughter's room, and made her way to Danny's. She knocked, and opened the door a little, just enough for her to poke her head inside the door.

What Maddie saw made her heart skip a beat.

Danny was facing away from the door, and he didn't have a shirt on. Why he wasn't wearing the long-sleeved shirt he'd been wearing only minutes before wasn't important. Now Maddie had an idea as to why Danny had started wearing long sleeves: Danny was covered in scars.

The most prominent scar on Danny's back was a very large, peculiar scar that stretched from his left shoulder to his right hip. It looked like lightning, the lines varying in length and thickness. There seemed to be a multitude of others as well, but before Maddie could get a good look, Danny had spun around, freezing in place, and trying to cover up his torso with his arms.

"Uh..." Danny's wide, blue eyes were filled with fear, "I-I guess we're gonna have to talk, aren't we?"

Maddie nodded numbly, and entered the room, "We are."

(LINE BREAK)

Like I mentioned in the summary, this fic will be a serious of one-shots/short stories. I might continue the chapters I post, but I might not. You have been warned.


	2. Tattoos

Danny was just fifteen when Sam snuck him to the tattoo parlour for the first time. It was the one year anniversary of Danny's accident, and Sam had wanted to commemorate the event with something special. After hours of discussion and planning, it had been decided that Danny wanted a tattoo. Something small, somewhere it was unlikely to be found, but also somewhere where Danny could take care of it himself.

Danny decided he wanted a small ghost on his shoulder, just the outline of one of the blob ones that couldn't usually put two words together. Danny was a halfa, ghosts were incredibly important in his life, and he could think of nothing else that he could afford and get away with on his own. Sam had found the little parlour, and had bribed the tattoo artist to do the job, leaving Danny to just pay for the tattoo itself.

After the first tattoo, Danny soon found himself craving more. Partly to cover the ghost hunting scars, and partly because tattoos were just so _amazing._ Danny had a folder of tattoo ideas, reference photos, and art that he wanted to get tattooed on himself someday.

When he was sixteen, Danny asked for a tattoo for his birthday present. His parents were skeptical, but after Danny showed them what he wanted and explained (partially), why he wanted it, they relented. Two weeks after Danny's birthday, he got the ring of blood blossoms circling his upper arm, fully coloured in and everything.

Nearly a week after that, Danny got his first ghostly tattoo, getting several ghostly flowers on his forearm. They would be visible only if it was completely dark, which made it difficult to hide them when they glowed. Though it did make for some interesting conversations with Sam and Tucker about the differences of ectoplasmic ink and 'normal' ink. In the years to follow, Danny got more ghostly tattoos, trying to put them in places where his parents wouldn't notice the faint glow they gave off.

Danny, over the next years, was covering himself with ink. From dark ravens, to the Danny Phantom logo (not that his parents ever saw that one), to the little hear that had 'Mom' written in it. These and more, soon littered his body by the time he graduated High School. Some of them his parents knew about, most they didn't.

It wasn't until Danny was almost twenty years old, the same year he'd finally broken down and told his parents what had happened in the accident, that he'd showed them all of the tattoos. Little gemstones, the planets, graves, more ghosts, a purple rose entwined with a red one, and more.

Maddie had been amazed, and disappointed that Danny hadn't told them. She'd asked multiple questions on what each tattoo meant, why and when he'd gotten them. Jack had been beyond excited to see the ghostly tattoos Danny had gotten over the years, asking about how tattoos worked in the Ghost Zone, why they showed up when Danny was in his human form, and wondering aloud why the ectoplasmic ink didn't burn Danny like it would have with a human.

In all, the experience made Danny laugh and made his head spin with questions for the next time he went to go see Clockwork. His parents had also demanded they be with him the next time he got a ghostly tattoo, since they wanted to see the process themselves.

In all, Danny was happy he'd finally told his parents everything he'd been hiding.


	3. Sleep

Danny stared at his alarm clock, wondering why the universe hated him so much. It was Friday nigh-no, no it was Saturday morning now, Danny's tired brain supplied, finally processing the numbers through his blurry vision.

 _Life sucks at 3:43 in the morning._ Danny mused silently, rolling over so the bright red letters wouldn't gleam in his face anymore. Not that this really helped, but Danny could at least trick himself into thinking that he had more time to sleep.

If Danny didn't fall asleep soon, it would be 48 hours since he'd last slept for more than an hour or two. His eyes burned, and he felt terrible, but no matter what he did, he couldn't fall asleep. There were no ghosts attacking, no Vlad trying to pull anything. There was nothing, it was quiet, and it was Friday-Saturday. Danny squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. That wasn't important, what was important was that he should be able to sleep-

Danny's door slammed open, sending Danny toppling from the bed, and landing on his hardwood floor. Sitting up, and glaring over at the door, found Jack, his father, standing in the doorway, ecto-weapon in hand.

"I thought I heard a ghost!" Jack said, looking around the darkened room.

Danny climbed to his feet, shooting a death-glare at his dad, "Really!? It's 3.45 in the morning!"

"Sorry, Dann-o! You were asleep, weren't you?"

" _No!_ I wasn't!" Danny exclaimed. He stormed past his father, and downstairs into the kitchen.

Maddie, Danny's mom, was at the kitchen table, apparently pouring over paperwork. A half-empty cup of coffee stood near her elbow, "Danny! What are you doing up?"

"Can't sleep," Danny muttered. He got a glass and poured himself a glass of milk, "I take it you can't either?"

"I'm trying to go over the numbers for some of our new inventions. I'm worried something's wrong, since they go after you all the time."

Danny was thankful for the fact he had been putting the milk away when the statement was uttered. He wasn't sure he could have kept a straight face, "I-I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Thanks dear. What's keeping you up?"

Danny shrugged, shutting the refrigerator door firmly, "I have no idea."

Maddie nodded, "You can sit with me for a while, though I won't be much for conversation-"

"That's more than fine, Mom," Danny said, "It's almost four in the morning. I'm not feeling conversation either."

Maddie smiled, then returned to her work. Danny drank his milk, then watched his mother work for a little while. Before he really realized it, he was cushioning his head against the kitchen table with his arms. The last thing Danny remembered was shutting his eyes.

Danny jolted into wakefulness sometime the next afternoon, finding himself on the couch, after Jack had dropped an empty fudge tin on the ground. Danny couldn't help but laugh heartily at the sight of his father freezing mid-motion then turn, with the most horrified look Danny had ever seen, in Danny's direction.

Danny was about 98% certain that his laughter had been Jack's only saviour from Maddie's rage.

(LINE BREAK)

Author's Note:

Poor Danny.

Anyway, let me know what you guys think, and if you can think of any oneshot ideas, let me know. You might inspire me to write a chapter or two, who knows.

I've also set up a account, so if you would like to see my original work, get sneak peeks, and the like, head on over. The link can be found on my profile. I'd really appreciate anything you can give, really.

Please R&R, I basically live off of them.


	4. Smoking

Danny didn't quite remember how he'd started. Had someone offered him one, and he'd just taken it because his constantly sleep-deprived brain simply couldn't understand the gravity of the situation? Had he found a discarded pack after a fight?

Danny didn't remember, and it didn't really matter. He was nineteen years old, old enough to purchase cigarettes on his own. He'd been smoking on and off since the beginning of high school, and had began purchasing packs of smokes since he'd joined the workforce after graduating high school.

Tucker was at university, as was Jazz. Sam attended a local college, but was often busy. Danny was certain that Sam knew, as she often all but shoved mints into Danny's mouth if he went to kiss her too soon after smoking.

Otherwise, Danny's parents were oblivious, as always. Danny could turn invisible, and watch the stars as he smoked from the roof of Fentonworks. Danny knew it was a nasty habit, but he made sure not to smoke around others, and made sure he cleaned his clothes as regularly as he could manage. From the roof of his home, or the roofs of other tall buildings in Amity Park, Danny could ensure his second-hand smoke was hurting no one but himself.

Danny wasn't even sure if the cigarettes would cause him as much damage as they would someone who was fully human. Danny could ask Vlad, but there was a good chance the older halfa would just tell Danny's parents-

"Little badger. I didn't realize you smoked."

Danny choked, coughing harshly into his elbow. He half-turned to glare at the other man, watching through streaming eyes as Vlad sat next to Danny. Vlad held out his hand for the still burning cigarette, and once Danny had handed it over, took a drag himself.

"It's been a long time since I've done this," Vlad said quietly, staring up into the stars as Danny had been moments before.

Danny nodded, and took his cigarette again, inhaling the sharp smoke, then exhaling dark clouds into the cool night air, "Are you going to tell my Mom and Dad?"

Vlad took the smoke once more, inhaling the last drag before stubbing it out on the metal roof the pair sat upon, "Not my business, Daniel. It's up to you," Vlad offered a crooked smile, "In today's school system, you know full well what you're getting into."

Danny nodded, "Thanks, Vlad."

"Don't thank me. I have no clue what these things can do to halfas. I haven't smoked very much since the accident."

Danny nodded, "Good to know."

Vlad offered a crooked smile, "I'll see you later, little badger."

"See you, fruitloop," Danny replied back. Danny watched as Vlad flew off. Taking one last look at the stars, Danny phased back into his room.

(LINE BREAK)

Author's Note: First off, I'd like to say that I'm not trying to promote smoking, but the idea that Danny found less than healthy ways of trying to deal with the stress of everything is one that has stuck with me for a while.

Obviously this isn't Phantom Planet compliant. I like to imagine Vlad and Danny would eventually come to some form of understanding. Anyway, please let me know what you think.


	5. Changes

Danny didn't notice many changes in the first weeks after the accidents, beyond the blatantly obvious. Over time, though, he became more aware of things going on in his body. Some things he noticed on his own, other times he didn't realize until someone had pointed it out to him.

Laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, Danny was particularly aware of one change: his insomnia. Sam figured it was because his slowed heart rate plummeted when he went to sleep, triggering a 'jerk-awake' response that his brain used to make sure he wasn't fully dead.

Laying in the dark, staring up at the ceiling, Danny sighed, trying to lull himself back into slumber. Nothing, his whole body was tight with anxiety. Sitting up, seeing more clearly in the dark than he could have ever hoped for before the accident, Danny stumbled to his computer, and turned it on. Squinting at the brightness, Danny opened the document he'd been updating with any new changes.

Scrolling to the bottom, he wrote the date (it was 3AM now, only three hours before he had to get up for school), and typed in: _insomnia worsening. Not sure if it's from stress, or if my body keeps thinking it'll die for real whenever I close my eyes._

Shutting the monitor off, Danny shuffled back to his bed, tapping on the upturned screen of his phone to check for notifications. Nothing, just the digital clock glaring at him. Danny laid back, turning the phone over so the light dimmed. His parents were in their room, but that didn't mean they were asleep.

Staring at the ceiling, Danny sighed. Raising his left hand, he focused hard, pulling at the cold thing lurking in his mind. Slowly, then all at once, his arm disappeared from his vision. Lowering his hand, he could feel it phasing through the blankets and mattress.

Danny brought the hand back up, and let his focus relax. In spite of his seemingly permanent state of exhaustion, these were changes he could get used to.


End file.
